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Blue Jays legend Tony Fernandez dies at 57 from stroke, kidney complications

Former Blue Jays star shortstop Tony Fernandez, who won a World Series with Toronto in 1993 and four consecutive Gold Glove in the 1980s, has died at age 57 from a stroke and complications from a kidney disease.

At the beginning of February, Imrad Hallim, the director and co-founder of the Tony Fernandez Foundation, said Fernandez recently developed pneumonia and was placed in an induced coma in an effort to stabilize him.

Fernandez, a five-time all-star who won a World Series with Toronto in 1993, battled kidney problems for several years. He was first hospitalized with polycystic kidney disease in 2017. The Mayo Clinic's website describes the disease is an inherited disorder where cyst clusters cause the kidneys to enlarge and lose function over time.

A native of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Fernandez spent 12 seasons with the Blue Jays over four stints during his 17-year MLB career and made his major league debut with the team as a 21-year-old in 1983.

He tops Toronto all-time in hits (1,583), singles (1,160), triples (72) and games played (1,450). Fernandez is also fifth in franchise history in batting average (.297), fourth in stolen bases (172) and fifth in runs scored (704).

Spectacular in the field, he won four straight Gold Glove Awards with the Blue Jays from 1986-89 and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont., in 2008.